Who are the "yogis for climate justice"?
This project started in early 2019 when a group of practitioners and teachers sat together after a wonderful practice in our Astanga Shala in Berlin and felt depressed about Climate Change.
We wondered how we can call ourselves Yogis and not do a thing about it. We had already done some research and realized, that Yoga has not made a single thing better on that subject, but in fact a lot worse. We were absolutely convinced, that all those frequent flyer Yogis simply did not know how destructive this lifestyle is for the planet and started contacting fellow practitioners and teachers.
The result was a shock. They all know. But the fun of travelling and the giant amounts of cash made with retreats in remote locations such as Bali, India, Thailand, Costa Rica is more powerful.
We hoped that that covid would make a difference. In vain. As soon as fear and/or restrictions were gone mostly everyone is back on the track of destruction, back in the business. Even or especially some of the most renowned yoga teachers keep speaking about ahimsa all over the place while polluting the planet with gigantic CO2 emissions.
Still, hardly anyone seems to raise his or her voice. Looking away from crime makes us guilty, too. What will our children ask in 20 years from now? How do African children experience the consequences of the perverted ego-trip called “yogic lifestyle” by so many?
I am a Yogi and I want to stop the destruction
We all know the CO2 emissions skyrocketing. Simply open a CO2 emission calculator and stop the single worst of things you do according to the science. And then take the next project. And then the next. Don’t look for the things that you don’t do and would like to blame others for (eating meat, usually). Look at what YOU do and what YOU need to change. Feeling ashamed about your own behavior is absolutely fine and a strong motivation for changing things. How can one not feel ashamed in an airplane knowing that all future beings will suffer from all such just-for-fun emissions?
Telling the truth is not shaming. Speak with your teachers (important!) about scientific facts, your fellow practitioners, friends and family. Don’t fight. But try it again and again. It’s not hopeless, just very difficult. One person is nothing. Many will eventually create momentum.
Please contact us to help us so we feel less alone in the toxic pond of greed, egotism and selfishness that Yoga has become.
Let us know about other initiatives, projects, even single teachers and Yoga schools who share similar values and promote a sustainable lifestyle. Encourage them to make their decisions prominent!
We think about building up a listing of conscious teachers. If you are in Berlin you can check out Ashtanga Yoga Berlin. Grischa teaches week-long ashtanga intensive retreats in Germany with a strict no-fly policy (means you cannot join if you need to fly). We’d love to put you on (a better!) list!
Don't I have to travel to India for practicing Yoga?
NO. Yoga is within you. Teachers are available all over the place. Make them teach where they and their customers (!) live, not where they earn most money. Tell them that you don’t agree. It could be so easy.